The Institute of International Education

THE PROVERBIAL wandering scholar of the Middle Ages, to whom we refer invariably as we sketch the history of student exchange, must have had a relatively easy time preparing his period of foreign study. There were, after all, but a handful of seats of learning to choose from, their teachings and teachers were world renowned, and the young scholars' needs in those days were few. The prospective foreign student of this age has a much harder time in coming by the necessary advance information. He must make his choice from thousands of institutions, teaching the widest range of subjects, their courses varying in aims and content, both within one country and from country to country. He has to overcome language barriers and familiarize himself with visa regulations and currency restrictions. Since he is usually dependent on financial assistance, he has to find out whether or not the schooling and credentials obtained abroad will be acceptable back home. How and where does he procure this information There are, of course, international reference works and masses of printed descriptive literature, but unless the student knows pretty much what he is after and unless he is familiar with the educational terminology, he needs someone to interpret the information for him and help him to relate it to his own situation. If he is lucky, he lives within reach of the embassy or consulate of the country concerned, which usually maintains a reference library and often has a counsellor at the disposal of those who need advice. Some organizations in the field of international exchange maintain offices in other countries-the British Council, the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, the Institute of International Education, among them. Some professional organizations operate foreign centres, e.g. the Council for Foreign Medical Graduates, which holds examinations in o103 foreign centres. However, judging from the vast number of calls for help sent all over the world and from complaints regularly voiced, information sources in most countries are highly inadequate. A very busy office in New York, the Counselling Division of the Institute of International Education, one of the major exchange organizations, is one of the recipients of such requests for factual and evaluative information. It processes between 70,000 and 80,ooo inquiries per year. May I have information on study opportunities in England ... Scandinavia ... Latin America ... China ... New Zealand ? Where in the United States can a Korean study for a Master of Business Administration ? Where does one apply for a post-doctoral research grant to India ... a teaching post in Uganda ? Do you have the catalogue of Monash University... a bibliography of books on education in the Middle East ? What is the equivalent in other countries of the German Abitur ... the Certificat d'mtudes superieures awarded in the Congo ? Can one get a degree by correspondence ? Is XYZ a bona fide organization ?